Amusement book



A ril 15, 1924.

H. S. STEPHENS AMUSEMENT BOOK '7. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec m T m m HOFY'B siephens By au ugm u z MA #1 TTORNEYS April 15, 1924.

H. S. STEPHENS AMUSEMENT BOOK Filed Dc. '7, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Harrij 5.

INVENTOR Stephens Patented Apr. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE'.

HARRY S. STEPHENS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AMUSEMENT BOOK.

Application tiled December 7, 1922 Serial No. 605,443.

To all 207mm ital-a3] concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY S. STEPHENS, a citizen ofthe United States. and resident of Los Angeles. in the county of LosAngeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusenicnt Books, of which the following is a specification. 1 V

This invention relates to a toy or amusement book, and has special reference to the provision of a combined storybook and toy for children, A principal object of my present invention comprehends the provision of a book for children constructed-to provide an interesting narrative combinedwith a toy for the childs instruction and amusement, in which the story is associated with the toy in such manner as to create an absorbing interest in the story, to render the story characters concrete and realistic to the child, with the story and toy designed to independently serve for purposes of entertainment.

In childrens nursery books and primers, the story text is usually accompanied by pictorial illustrations depicting various phases of the story or narrative, and it is well known that these accompanying illustrations serve to stimulate and very often create the childs interest in the story itself and more generally in book reading.

These pictorial illustrations aid-materially in facilitating the childs imagery of the story text, and help intensively in fixing the story facts in the memory of the child, visual imagery afforded by the pictures and audible imagery created by the reading of the text combining to afford instruction through the channels of play. A principal desideratum of my present invention resides in the provisionof abook in which this interest-producing association of visual and audible imagery in book reading is rendered more intimate by the combining with the story text of a toy representing a character or object forming part of the subjectmatter of the story, such for example as the central figure of the narrative, the pla toy serving to make the story characters concrete and realistic, and therefore to intensit' and quicken the childs understanding of and attraction for book stories;

A further and coordinate object of my present invention contemplates a book construction in which the story is so associated with the toy as to serve to gradually arouse the childs curiosity in .the central character of the story, andthen to surprise, the

child with the presence of the toy representing said character, the toy being normally concealed from view and the story descriptively moving to a revelation of,thetoy as a climax. v

A still further and related object of the invention includes the provision of a toy book provided with a story telling part and a toy containing part, each independently being capable of afiordin amusement for the child, and both combinlng toproduce an amusement device for the childs absorbing entertainment. I

The principal objects of my present in vention may be said to include, besides the provision of a toy book having the characteristics above referred to; thefurther provision of a book provided with a story telling section and a toy holding section, the whole-simulating an ordinary volume; the further provision of a toy book in which the toy holding section comprises a closed compartment normally concealing thetoy from view and openable for revealing the same; the further provision of a toy book in which the story telling section itself conibines text and pictorial illustrations centering about a given character or object, the story gradually leading up to the presence in the closed compartment of the objective representation of the story character; the

still further provision of a toy book of this nature in which the child is called upon to actuate a device active for opening the toy holding compartment with the act of actuating the device being non-suggestive of the act of opening the compartment, so that the toy is revealed to the surprise of the showing a preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which! Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the toy book,

i e v with the toy of a. toy book comprising a ing section including a taming a toy 12, the compartment 11 comstory tellin section Fig. .2, is a perspective view of the toy book T i Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same showing the association of the last page of the story telling section'and the toy holding section, and a Fig, 4 is a perspective view of the same holding section opened for revealing the toy therein.

feri'ing now more in detail to the drawings, my invention relates to the provision story telling section A anda toy holding section B de fining the composite volume C, the story telling section including one or more pages 10 containing a narrative, and the toy holdcompartment 11 conositel siinulatin aplurality of book pa es hich is suitably liound to the pages 10 %etween the book covers 13 and 14.

As heretofore mentioned, it is an'object of the present'invention to so associate the Aand the toy holding section B of my book that an absorbing interest in the story is created, with the principal character or objective of the stor presented in a realistic fashion to the 'chil and to this end the pages 10 of the story telling section A contain a Y narrative centering about some principal character or objective, the said character being objectively represented by the toy such as the figure toy 12 contained in the toy holding section B.

This corelation between the narrative and the toy may obviously be carried out in numerous ways centerin about numerous subjects, and is illustratively portrayed in book the embodiment shown in the drawings, wherein the story is shown to center about a darky character knownto the reader and hearer as Lize, the pages10. serially depicting the persons and events important in the life'of .Liz e such as herparents, friends, home environment, and various interestin happenings in her existence, this darky c aracter being represented by the figure .toy 12. The manner of portraying the life of Lize'is shown for example in the two adjacent as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, page 10 beingsubdivided into a text hearing portion 15 and a picture bearingportion 16 showing Lize hanging by a nail ing portion 15' and a and curiosity in the central figure with firemen comin to herrescue, page 10 being similarly su ivided into a text bearpicture bearing portion 16 revealing howfLize went into the ocean'for a sail with an old umbrella inv her mammys bigpail. g 7

As heretofore mentioned, the book. con-' struction of my present invention is designed, andthe story thereofdescribed, so as to gradually arouse the childs interest of the view and the story is descri pages IOFa-nd 10 of the story, and then to surprise the child with the presence of the toy figure contained in the toy holding section this end the toy concealed from ed so as to move to the revelation of the toy as a climax. To accomplish this, the compartment 11 is a normally closed compartment provided with an inner walll7 facing the pages of the story telling section A, the said inner wall including a closureelement such as a door 18 normally closed but movable on hinges 19 to an open-position for revealing the conceailed toy, this door when the book is closed being hidden from view and. being osed only when the last page of the story ng section is reached. The story or narrative gradually leads up to the material resence of Lize in the toy holding section and to this end the last page of the story telling section A, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, may have reference and direct attention to the toy holding section, the said last page such as the page 10 being subdivided in a manner similar to the other pages into a text bearing portion 15 and a picture bearing portion 16 showing the pathway that leads down thru the buttercups, daisies and weeds right to the door where Lize does dwell.

For opening the door 18, I preferably provide a device which is manipulableby the child, and to which device the story directs attention, the saiddevice preferably having a configuration and construction not directly but preferably remotely suggestive of the act of door opening, all to the end of finally revealing the toy to the surpriseand amusement of the child. For this purpose the compartment wall 17 is provided with a push button device 20 comprising a door bell button, operation of which is designed to sound a bell and to effect the surprise opening of the door 18.- The text 15 of the last page 10 preferably calls attention to the bell push button, with the instruction that If you want to.i neet Lize just push the door bell. When the last page is reached and the story finished, with the exposing of the door and push button device the bell button is actuated for operating a ringing mechanism 21, efi'ecting the ringing of a bell 22 located in a compartment 11 and for opening a latch means 23 attached to the compartment wall 17, the latch 24 of which, normally in the keeper 25. which latter is attached to the door 18.

is normally X te \being movedto open position by means of of the book; and to ence of the objective representation of Lize. The figure toy representing the story character may then be removed from the compartment for purposes of play. When replaced in the compartment, the

movement of the door 18 to closed positionwill cause self-latching of the same and the return of the parts to normal condition. The manner of making and using my toy book will in the main be fully apparent from the above detailed description thereof. The toy book normally has the appearance of the ordinary volume, the compartment 11 and the pages 10 compositely simulatingthe pages of a book. The story telling section A may itself serve to tell an interestingnal rative, the interest in the story and its character or characters being heightened by the revelation of the toy representing the central character of the narrative. After the story 1s told. the toy and its compartment may be employed as a means for creating entertainment, after'which the toy may be removed for purposes of play. The compartment containing the toy furthermore may serve to house the same for purposes of safe-keeping, a protective container being thus provided therefor. By the rovision of my invention, it will moreover vided a toy book in which the sto characters are made concrete and realistic for intensifying the childs interest in book stories.

It will be understood that although Ihave sliown my invention centering about a particular object -or character, that numerous changes may be made for permitting the narrating of numerous other stories. For example, the story may be made to center about such characters as Rip Van 'Winkle or a member of his immediate family, the compartment containing the toy characterizing Rip Van Winkle or any close relative selected. As a further example, the narrative may be the story of a dog, andthe toy may comprise a dog figure housed in the toy holding section. Other and numerous examples may be cited, and it will therefore be understood that while I have shown my device in the preferred form, that many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed and in the specific cooperation of the parts without de arting from the spirit of the invention de ned in the following claims.

I claim 1. A toy book comprising a story telling section including one or more pages containing a story centering about a given character or objective, and a toy holding section in-- cluding a normally closed and opcnable compartment defining a housing and a toy representing the said character .or ob ective housed y and normally concealed within the compartment and exposable to view upon opening the compartment;

eseen that I have pro-,

section and a toy ho ding section, the sai toy holding section including a normally closed and opcnable compartment defining a housing, and a figure toy associated with the story of the story telling section housed by and normally concealed within the same' and exposable to view upon opening the compartment.

4. A toy, book comprising a story telling section including one or more pages containing a story centering about a given character or objective, and a toy holdin section including a compartment provide with a wall facing the story telling section covered there-' by when the book is closed and uncovered when the book is opened. a toy representing the said character or objective housed by and normally concealed within the compartment, and a closure element in said compartmentwall opcnable for exposing the said toy to view.

5. A toy book comprising a story telling of the story telling section housed by and normally concealed within the com artment, the said compartment being provided with an inner wall facing the story telling section covered thereby when the book is closed and uncovered when the book is opened, and a closure element in said compartment wall opcnable for ex osing the figure toy to view.

6. A toy boo comprising a story telling section including one or more pages containing a story centering about a given character or objective, and a toy holding section including a normally closed and opcnable compartment and a toy representing the character or objective in said compartment, the said compartment being provided with an inner wall and a closure in said wall facing the story telling sectionand normally covered by the last page thereof and uncovered when the last page of the story is reached, the said lastpage bearing a story part having reference to the presence of the toy within the compartment.

7. A toy book comprising a story telling section including one or more ages containing a story, and a toy holding section including a normally closed compartment,

and" a toy representing the said. character or objective housed by and norm'ally con cealed within the compartment, the said compartment being provided with an inner wall facing the storytelling section normally covered bythe last page of the story telling section and uncovered when the lastpage is reached, the ,said wall being provided with a door and a manually-manipulable device active when manipulated for efiecting the opening of the door to reveal the toy therein, the said device having a construction or configuration not directly suggestiveof the act of door opening, and the said last page of the story 'telling section bearing a reference to the presence of -the-toy within the compartmentfand calling attention to the said device. v

9. A toy book comprising a story telling section including one or more pages containing the story, and a toy holding section including a normally closed compartment, a figure toy therein, a spring actuated door for said compartment, latch means for normally holding the door closed, and a manually manipulable device for'said compartment-effective when manipulated for unlatching said latch .meansto permit the door story part having to. be actuated to open position mg the toy in the compartment.

10. A tov book comprising a' story telling section including one or more pages containing the stor and a toy holding sectionincluding a normally closed compartment, a figure toy within the said compartment, a wall of the said compartment being profor revealvided with a spring actuated closure element,

latch means for normally holding the closure closed, a sounding device withinthe'com- 'partment, a manually manipulable device on the compartment wall adjacent the when manipulated for sounding the said sounding device and forv means to permit the door'to be spring actuatedtoopen position closure element active unlatching the latch for exposing the toy therein to view.

11. A-toy book comprising a story telling section including one or more pages containing a story centering about a given character or objective, and a toy holding section a normally closed compartment,

active when" manipulated normally holding the tion for exposing the toy therein to View.

Signed at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, this 28th day of November, A. D. 1922.

3 HARRY S. STEPHENS. 

